Rugby

[RAMESH]

good work on the thread RAMESH.

Rate australia a chance at taking it? I honestly dont, our lead up was pretty horrible, but im not massive on rugby. beating Japan by heaps was a good warm up, but the first half was pretty piss poor.. against better sides we'd be punished for those mistakes.

australia has got a very good chance at winning the worldcup, you got speed,power, excellent training a very good coach & you rated at no.2
new zealand is the favourites as usual but we all know they can't handle pressure
south africa slightly handicapped, if you watched the samoa game you would know what i mean but still got a great chance to win
france got all the support but is under alot of pressure if they can over come that then we got somthing to worry about
argentina, ireland & whales are also good teams but england is unorganised right now.

[RAMESH]

ive watched rugby for ages but.... can someone explain te scrum to me.

Scrum -When the ball becomes unplayable or stationary, a scrum shall be ordered and the ball inserted by the team who were not initially in possession.

Scrum (formerly scrummage), in the sports of rugby union and rugby league, is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement or (in rugby league only) when the ball has gone out of play. Scrums occur more often, and are of greater importance, in union than in league.
In both sports, a scrum is formed by the players who are designated forwards binding together in three rows. The scrum then 'engages' with the opposition team so that the player's heads are interlocked with those of the other side's front row. The scrum half from the team that did not infringe then throws the ball into the tunnel created in the space between the two sets of front rowers' legs. Both teams may then try to compete for the ball by trying to hook the ball backwards with their feet.
A key difference between the two sports is that in rugby union both sets of forwards try to push the opposition backwards whilst competing for the ball and thus the team that did not throw the ball into the scrum have some chance of winning the possession. In practice, however, the team with the 'put-in' usually keeps possession. Forwards in rugby league do not push in the scrum, often feed the ball directly under the legs of their own front row rather than into the tunnel, and the team with the put-in almost always retains possession.



A rugby union scrum

[rainbow]

yeah, but the whole thing just seems pointless sort of...

i dont know enough about it, but having like 10 guys run into each other, than throwing the ball under there feet, just so you regain possession has always seemed odd to me.

they down have scrums in league right?

[RAMESH]

it's a test of power because you have to push the opposition team back so you can get the ball under your feet to push it back to your team

[RAMESH]

i take back about what i said about that coloured cat, he did us proud yesterday because of the quota system it makes it hard for coloured players because if they don't preform well the whole country thinks they got in because of their colour & we don't want to be known as weak links in the team we want to be known as the best in the team

Seldom has a stadium announcement sounded as glorious as it did at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday night. “Souss Africa, Sirty-seex; Eengland neel!”

Blow-by-blow scoring

Emulating the team of 1999 John Smit’s class of 2007 gave an immense Rugby World Cup performance in the French capital to stack up a 36-0 victory that was more emphatic than even the boldest of their fans might have hoped.
With Fourie du Preez stamping himself as the best scrumhalf in world rugby the Boks sent out a blazing message to rest of the contenders as they claimed the inside lane en route to winning their pool in the quest for an easier quarterfinal.
Apart from a period late in the second half (with the game already won) when Martin Corry’s men dominated possession and territory the Boks were never really extended in shutting out a shabby England.
They rose magnificently above the setback of losing Schalk Burger at the start of the week (albeit against an England side who had to endure even more problems) in what must surely be their best performance on foreign soil since early in 2004 when Jake White stepped onto the bridge of a listing ship and set sail for a distant Coupe du Monde in France in 2007.
The South Africans were coldly focused, clinical in execution and unwaveringly composed as they set about blasting England’s sweet chariot right off the park.
Corry had talked about winning the collisions but against faster, stronger and more determined opponents his side were never in it.
Not only did the Boks dominate the contact situations but with Bakkies Botha turning in his best performance for some while and with Victor Matfield dominating the landscape like a pair of Eiffel Towers they had a wonderful platform in the lineouts, were always more explosive in the tackle, quicker to the turnovers.
The only thing that will rankle is losing a tighthead against the England eight; and perhaps also not getting the satisfaction of taking a bonus point of a team who until very recently were their tormentors .
The Boks’ early domination seemed almost too good to be true and one wondered whether the tension of the long build-up to this match would constrict their attacking nous.
But it was a fleeting thought. In the sixth minute Botha rose to win a front-end lineout ball on his own 10m line, Du Preez worked the short side to JP Pietersen who sped clear before sending the ball back to the scrumhalf and when he was hemmed in he jinked infield before popping the ball up for a charging Juan Smith to carry over the line.
Montgomery added the conversion and soon kicked a penalty to get the score to double figures. With the Boks playing from left-to-right in front of me their dominance was such that I seemed to spend the rest of the half hunched forward to see passed a steel pole that obscured my view of the England 22.
The impression that the Boks were quicker, stronger, keener never wavered and a chance went abegging in the 21st minute when sharp reflexes by Du Preez, who quickly kicked a penalty into unguarded open spaces behind the England line, caused the ball to bounce kindly for Jaque Fourie -- only for him to lose the sphere as he was hit by Josh Lewsey in his lunge for the line.
INEPT BEGINNERS
With the Boks having a distinct advantage kicking the ball out of hand, the like of Du Preez and Percy Montgomery making Mike Catt and some of the other England kickers look like inept beginners, but it seemed they might let the chance slip to have the game wrapped up by halftime.
However, that thought soon evaporated as Montgomery’s smooth two-step took them to 13-0 before the unrelenting pressure told on the English.
Du Preez it was who again cracked the whip as he quickly countered with turnover ball, sprinted up to fullback Jason Robinson and neatly let the ball go to JP Pietersen cruising clear on the outside. The conversion made it 20-0 at the break and, in truth, that was it -- you could not see a demoralised England outfit coming back from there.
Smit’s men kept their intense focus after the re-start, using the high ball to great effect, and maintaining the field position to allow Montgomery to kick two more penalties. (26-0).
These were primal tactics, causing the brave Jason Robinson such a torrid time that he left the field bleeding and in pain when his hamstring finally gave way as he tried to spark life into his shell-shocked teammates, but they were what was needed to close out the game.
And the coup de grace was inevitably delivered as a crooked lineout gave the Boks a scrum from which the ball spun into centre-field to a crash-balling Francois Steyn. The ball was rucked back quickly and Du Preez looped back from whence it had come, broke clear, and again presented JP Pietersen with a try on a plate.
Montgomery, who kicked all seven his place-kicks for a contribution of 18 points, did the rest and not a soul in the 79 900-strong crowd would quibble that the Springboks are very real contenders to lift the Webb Ellis Cup given the way they demolished the current holders.
At the end the Springboks went a lap of honour that was more an expression of gratitude for the ardent support of their fans, who might have been outnumbered but provided an unceasing crescendo of support. The dream is crystallising, taking a tangible shape, one has a feeling it won’t be the last time the Boks go from end to end to wave to the crowd at this venue.

[WU-KILLAH]

Can't believe english got ridiculized that much ! that's crazy . Concerning the match I honsestly found it was boring, because too much foot game, I know that's the way modern rugby is but when you spend ten minutes watching dudes kicking the ball to each side of the field it's boring.

[The Hound]

they down have scrums in league right?

the scrum in league is useless these days. it used to be like a rugby scrum without the flankers, but now theres no contest and they just plonk it under the back rowers feet. any time it's a scrum should just be a tap imo

thanks south africa, just gave australia a free ride to the semi final

[RAMESH]

the greatest thing about sports is the get together, the food the weed the alcohol. my whole weekend has been a feast my wifes family is here for the weekend & been cooking & i got my homeboys with me, this is how life should be evryday. enjoy the sports i'll catch ya'll on monday

[DJMethods]

the greatest thing about sports is the get together, the food the weed the alcohol. my whole weekend has been a feast my wifes family is here for the weekend & been cooking & i got my homeboys with me, this is how life should be evryday. enjoy the sports i'll catch ya'll on monday

well said man, even mates who never liked sport ive gotten into it cause of the environment

Watched australia last night.. first half was good, second half we were pretty bad. freak try saved us i reckon, wales had all the momentum (fuck they look good when they get going). our defense was great though.

and BARNES! great game, saw his debut against Japan.. was good, but the opposition wasnt. impressed the hell outta me.

[WU-KILLAH]

the greatest thing about sports is the get together, the food the weed the alcohol. my whole weekend has been a feast my wifes family is here for the weekend & been cooking & i got my homeboys with me, this is how life should be evryday. enjoy the sports i'll catch ya'll on monday

I feel you, actually I don't need more than moment like this to be happy in life.
Tonight we play Namibia, this time I hope we won't have no surprise

[The Hound]

well said man, even mates who never liked sport ive gotten into it cause of the environment

Watched australia last night.. first half was good, second half we were pretty bad. freak try saved us i reckon, wales had all the momentum (fuck they look good when they get going). our defense was great though.

and BARNES! great game, saw his debut against Japan.. was good, but the opposition wasnt. impressed the hell outta me.

i bet wayne bennett wishes the broncos never let berrick barnes go. they are rootboxed with out lockeyer, but a fantastic pick up for queensland rugby. he has got mad potential and when larkham/gregen retire i'd be elevating barnes straight into the 10 jersey. if larkham wasn't retiring i reckon barnes would of stolen his spot

i still don't see us winning this shit. probably make the semi final. if we do, we will have to play the all blacks. we beat them at home but i don't see us matching 2003.

south africa for me is the team to beat. with white as coach and eddie jones helping out, fuck they got mad tactical brains there. australias biggest mistake was punting eddie jones for this fuckin shit kicker connolly. south africa will have a fairly easy ride to the final to so i expect them to make it.

NZ v SA final for me

[RAMESH]

Awesome" Tonga stun Samoa



Rallying cry: Nili Latu demanded a full-blooded performance from Tonga

MONTPELLIER, 16 September - Tonga survived a send-off and two yellow cards to defeat Samoa 19-15 at Stade de la Mosson - their first win over their South Pacific rivals in seven years and a major boost to their chances of making the IRB Rugby World Cup quarter-finals for the first time.

In what Samoa coach Michael Jones (NZL) described as the best performance he had ever seen from a Tonga team, the Tongans hurled themselves at every breakdown and contested every facet of the match.

"We wanted this one more than Samoa. I said to the boys before the game, 'today you either die or come back to the changing room with nothing'," said Tonga captain Nili Latu.

Despite being down to 13 men for the last five minutes, Tonga nullified Samoa's last desperate attack and then wound down the clock before embracing each other with unrestrained joy at the final whistle.

Tonga repel Samoa's attack with just 13 men
Having trailed for most of the match, Tonga hit the front at the 60 minute mark when inside centre Epeli Taione scored the only try of the match, making amends for his 28th minute yellow card for repeated ruck infringements.

Penalised for a high tackle, Tonga flanker Hale T Pole became the first player to be sent off in an IRB Rugby World Cup match since 1999 - and the 13th overall.
Reserve forward Toma Toke followed him to the sideline just three minutes later on a yellow card for a high tackle, leaving Tonga two men down in the dying stages.

Despite the two-man advantage, Samoa were no more able to put together a cohesive attack than they had for most of the previous 75 minutes.

Samoa "out-passioned and out-muscled"
Tonga were aggressive at the tackle and breakdown, where Jones said his side were "out-passioned and out-muscled".

"The Tongans, when they're in that mood... it doesn't matter which game plan you throw at them, they're going to knock you over, or smash you over," said Jones.

"We acknowledge and commend the Tongans on how they played today. They were awesome. We have to eat humble pie. That's part of this journey we're on."

France post emphatic win


Dream debut: Vincent Clerc scored three tries in his RWC debut

TOULOUSE, 16 September - France have delighted their fans with an 87-10 victory over a 14-man Namibia in Sunday's Pool D match at Le Stade.

It was France's biggest-ever victory in an international, eclipsing their 77-10 win over Fiji in 2001.

In a fitting tribute to Namibia's never-say-die attitude, their centre Bratley Langenhoven crossed for the final try that cut France's winning margin to 77 points in the 13-tries-to-one victory.

Wing Vincent Clerc bagged a hat-trick of tries on his RWC debut, while cult figure Sébastien Chabal and Lionel Nallet each scored two tries for France, who made 12 changes to their starting XV following their 17-12 opening match loss to Argentina.

Irish referee Alain Rolland gave Jacques Nieuwenhuis a red card in the 19th minute after the Namibia number 8 caught Chabal (FRA) around the neck.

Namibia trailed 40-3 at halftime, with their only points coming from fly half Emile Wessels' drop goal in the 10th minute after wing Cédric Heymans had scored France's first try of the tournament three minutes earlier.

The French wasted their opportunities after Nieuwenhuis was sent off but soon clicked into gear, scoring 82 unanswered points before Namibia got their first and only try of the match in the dying seconds.

Chabal scored his tries in the space of five minutes early in the second half before scrum half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, stand-in captain for the rested Raphaël Ibanez, crossed in the 56th minute.

Clerc claimed the next two tries and flanker Thierry Dusautoir crossed four minutes before fulltime to cap a memorable performance by France.


Kirwan ups the tempo

Monday 17 September 2007











Time to face the music: The Japan team trainings have become a musical affair


COLOMIERS, 16 September - In a bid to prepare his players for the passionate Welsh spectators, Japan coach John Kirwan (NZL) has conducted his past two training runs to Japanese pop songs and traditional Welsh music.
"It's a tactic I used in Italy. A few of the boys are having trouble communicating with the noise of the crowd, so we are trying to get them used to it," Kirwan said.
"There were some pretty poor songs today. Our tech guy chose them."
Even though "the tech guy" had chosen such Japanese pop classics as 'Sakura' and 'Hana'.
The Millennium Stadium crowd has a reputation for lifting the home side and the noise that they generate is further enhanced when the roof is closed.
Unfortunately, the continual blaring of the Stade Michel Benichou's speakers had an unwanted side effect, driving away many of the three hundred spectators who had come to see the Japanese team in action.

[RAMESH]

I feel you, actually I don't need more than moment like this to be happy in life.
Tonight we play Namibia, this time I hope we won't have no surprise

i'm the last 1 left from my family, i got a grandmother & a few cousins in unit 10 but that's on the opposite side of south africa where i'm from, i never see them so i really appreciate the times i get to spend with my wifes family & my friends my family

[RAMESH]

Scots ready to eye-ball All Blacks

EDINBURGH, 19 September - Scotland say they cannot afford to be intimidated by tournament favourites New Zealand in Edinburgh on Sunday.
Coach Frank Hadden remains tight-lipped about the team he'll name on Friday but speculation is rife he'll save his best players for the match against Italy in Saint-Etienne on 29 September.
"We have to go in looking at playing to win," centre Andrew Henderson said on Wednesday.

"We've got to go into it with a positive frame of mind.
"It's important, like every game. I'm not sure what is going to happen just yet.
"We are all ready to play, we are all keen to play. Everyone appreciates the All Blacks are the best in the world and we would all like to have a go."
Henderson, who suffered a severe dead leg against South Africa last month, is yet to play in the 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup but he hoped to be selected for Sunday's showdown.
Scotland and Italy battling for top-eight spot
The All Blacks are expected to claim the No.1 spot in Pool C, with second place and a quarter-final berth turning into a battle between Scotland and Italy.
For New Zealand, flanker Reuben Thorne will start in place of Chris Jack in the second row, while Luke McAlister and Conrad Smith are the centres.

Scotland scrum half Mike Blair said New Zealand would be pose a massive challenge, no matter what players they fielded.

"I think it's not something we are too uptight about. Whatever squad they put out, it's going to be a competitive fight," Blair said.
Blair said Scotland were focused solely on the New Zealand clash, despite the crucial Italy match coming only six days later.
"We've got three games in 11 days. We have to focus on the game that's coming up," Blair said.


08 SepNZL76-14ITA

12 SepITA24-18ROM

19 SepITA31-5POR

[The Hound]

if scotland play like they did against romania, don't bother turning up. the 4 southern hemisphere sides are shitting all over those shit kickers from the north. the 6 nation teams are incredibly wack and there is a major chance of an all southern hemisphere semi final